Alisha has a unique upbringing compared to most SkyRyders, which saves the day once again.

She has sat and listened to wealthy socialites discuss how to get around the laws of ordinary people and how to twist the meaning in legal papers to say something different than its proposed purpose.

She spent untold money playing in wind-tunnels when her parents moved to FlatLand. (It’s one of the few places in the Americas that has NO wind. Not even a faint breeze.)

Then she escaped to Capital and was rescued by street people who shared their knowledge, taught her many tricks of their trade, and saved her Grandfather from certain death.

She then taught herself how to fly a catcher so she could become a Scavenger and make money to keep Gramps and her alive. And since she had never been taught what ‘couldn’t’ be done with a catcher, most of her flying skills appear to a normal Ryder as impossible.

Her unique upbringing makes her uniquely qualified to spot and explain the dangers in the latest regulations imposed upon the SkyRyders.​

Scavenger FaltersByLiza O’Connor

Alisha Kane, the Corps’ best flyer, is promoted to colonel, in charge of teaching the Corp’s SkyRyders her extraordinary flying maneuvers. The man she loves, Logan, continues to place the Corps first and insists they both remain focused on their work. For Alisha, this means ferreting out the best flyers in a Corps that has systematically forced great flyers into mediocrity. Logan focuses on learning Alisha’s flying techniques so that he can become the hero the East Coast desperately needs. The result includes fractured ribs and broken hearts, but through it all they never relinquish their love of the Corps.

EXCERPTAlisha get’s drilled on the new regs.The only thing that made the exercise tolerable was that Jack’s examples were always funny. “You’re on leave, having a nice day in the Capital, when suddenly you see a Ryder land right smack in a crowd of people on Hathworth street. Worse yet, he is completely nude. What regs have been touched upon and what is your course of action?”“First, I ensure no civilian has been injured by his action. Then with my own money, I purchase an Indian shawl from the street vendor and order the soldier to wrap himself up. I then get the catcher out of the street because it’s a traffic hazard—”“The regs, Alisha…” Logan reminded her.“Reg 13.89…3?” she stated without certainty. “Except during battle conditions all effort should be made that no civilian is harmed or injured during flight exercises.”“How do you know he’s not part of a battle squad?” Jack asked.“This one I’ve got. Reg 3.342 states that all soldiers must be properly geared for battle. Clearly, he was not. Reg 2.67 states that on-duty officers must be in uniform. Finally, Reg 14.2…67…no, 66, says that when a soldier is not on duty and off Corps sites that his behavior is regulated by the laws and cultural standards of the place of occupancy. While nudity is not illegal in Capital, the street the soldier has landed on is mostly southern Baptist, so the sight of a nude soldier would be offensive to their cultural standards, which is why I bought him a shawl and ordered him to cover up. Reg 14.678 says that an officer is responsible for enforcing all regulations whether on or off duty, regardless of whether the offending soldier is directly under the officer’s command. That is also why I cleared the catcher, because causing a traffic obstruction is illegal in the Capital.”“Yeah, but that is clearly never enforced,” Jack observed. “Just ask the vendor you bought the shawl from. He’s probably pulled his cart right in the middle of the street for better traffic business.”“Reg 14.891 says the Corps is required to uphold and abide all laws currently instated, regardless whether they are enforced upon the general public.”“That can’t be right,” Powell said and looked at his book.“That’s what it says,” Logan observed.“I think we should get that one rescinded as well,” Powell muttered.Alisha nodded. “I think there’s quite a few of the regs that need to be rescinded, but 14.891 is definitely one of them. It sounds good in theory, but what if a town controlled by the Drug Cartel passed a law that forbids flying or weaponry within city limits? They could dress it up real pretty: ‘Make our streets safe: ban guns.’ Show some scavengers sweeping down and stealing your groceries right out of your hands. So the town votes out the guns and flyers. Then the Cartel, which controls local enforcement, proceeds to ignore the laws and go on with their business, but now it’s a Corps-free zone. We can only send in ground troops, and they can’t carry guns.”General Powell glared at Jack.Jack reached behind him and grabbed paper and pen. Making a quick note, he finally looked up. “What other ones bother you?”“Well, Reg 14.266…if that’s the ‘obey local cultural standards’ law.”“It is,” Jack replied, “And the reason being much the same?”“Sure. Cultural standards are difficult. For example, that law would prevent a female soldier from entering a quarter of Capital.”“But that reg only applies when they aren’t on duty,” the general objected.“Yes, but let’s say I walk from Hathworth Street three blocks down to Melborne, wearing these fatigues. I have violated some cultural standard on each block. Didn’t hurt anyone, and normally no one would ever complain. But what if they decided to make an issue and beat me with their god sticks…or worse drag me down into a cellar and leave me there until their God has forgiven me for my transgression? According to this Reg, the Corps can’t do a thing. When we are off duty, it cedes its control and protection over to local governments and even more frightening, local cultural standards.”Jack didn’t even wait for the general’s nod, he just wrote it down on the sheet.By the time Alisha had finished her ‘what ifs,’ most of the Regs in 13 and 14 were on the list.“Who the hell approved these?” the general demanded.

About the AuthorLiza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.

​Alisha has been promoted following her bravery during the attack on her base. Now she must teach recruits how to fly like she does in a short period of time so they can save lives on other bases. But as her career soars, her love life falters. Logan refuses to give into his feelings for fear of getting Alisha in trouble. Yet his jealousy causes him pain.

Ms. O'Connor does it again. The sequel to Scavenger's Mission, we see Alisha grow in responsibility and maturity as she's faced with tough choices. I was angry at Logan for not acting on his feelings, life is too short but I did understand his thoughts.

There are many twists and turns in this novel as we learn more about each of the characters and the corps. I'm in awe of Alisha's strength while facing tough times. She's truly an exemplar person. I wish I was more like her.

Ms. O'Connor continues the gripping tale of a young woman who faces the biggest challenge of her life. I'm excited to read the third book to see if Alisha and the Skyriders can protect the world.

Liza O'Connor

1/11/2017 09:38:31 pm

Love the review! Thanks so much!

Melissa Keir

1/12/2017 11:31:55 am

Thank you for letting me read your book! I can't wait to see what happens next!